3 Minute Wisdom

Why all the emphasis on understanding work? Because that is where you spend most of your day but also because it is really the only way that you can get what you want from life. Your rewards in life will always be in direct relation to the value of your contribution to life.

Today I want to look at WORK from a different aspect. For most people work is something that they feel that they have to do, that they would rather not do and if they had a choice they wouldn't do.

I have created an acronym for WORK which is

Willing – Opportunity – Responsibility – Knowledge.

Willing
Being willing to work is critical if you are to get any enjoyment from your task. There is nothing worse than doing something resentfully. When you resent doing something you will resist doing it and look for ways to avoid doing it.

The way to develop a willingness to work is to realise that you don't have to work. You could stay at home and do nothing, and if you do that for long enough you can move in under a bridge and do nothing. Work is a choice. If you want to earn money then you have to trade your time and your skills for that money.

Take the time to consider all the things that you can do because you work, what would happen to your standard of living if you did not have your job and the salary that goes with it?

Opportunity
The workplace is your opportunity to show how good you are. There is no significance in being good at something if you cannot demonstrate that you are good at it. Imagine being a champion swimmer stranded out in the desert. All your skills at swimming are useless to you because there is no opportunity to demonstrate those skills.

So the workplace is your opportunity to show what you can do, to learn what you need to do and to get better at what you do. Just think about how much effort you put into getting this job. You wanted the opportunity to earn a salary.

Responsibility
You have a responsibility to yourself to be the best that you can be and to do whatever you do as if it was vitally important, and as a matter of fact it is vitally important. Every day you are building your past and your reputation and you are laying the foundation for your future.

You have the responsibility to be honest and fulfil your part of the bargain. Think back to the time that you were applying for this job. I'll bet that you made certain commitments, are you still living up to those commitments?

You have a responsibility, to not only do whatever you do as well as you can but to constantly strive to do more, to learn more, to improve. The future is depending on you.

Knowledge
Work is about knowledge. Remember this. "Everything is difficult until you have learned how to do it." "Everything is easy once you have learned how to do it." The more you know about your job the easier it will be to do it. The more you know about your job the better you can do it. The more you know about your job the more valuable your services become. The more you know about your job the more confident you will be.

As from today change your perception of work and be grateful that you have the skills and the opportunity to do it and that someone thinks highly enough of you to give you the opportunity to WORK.